Tag Archives: wanderlust

Last week, a couple of friends and I went to Austin, TX for a quick girls’ trip. We were only there for four days, so we weren’t able to check out everything we had on our list. Despite the limited time, we were still able to check out a lot of things in a short amount of time.

Now, depending on what you’re interested in seeing or doing, that might not be enough time. If you’re coming up with a list of things to do for whenever you happen to find yourselves in Austin, here’s a few things I recommend!

1. VINTAGE HEART COFFEE | 1405 E. 7th St. Austin, TX

In every new city I visit, I make sure to check out local coffee shops. Vintage Heart Coffee is a great spot with cute vintage decor. Great atmosphere for studying or catching up with a friend over coffee. Their menu is simple, so if you’re indecisive like me, placing an order is a breeze. I got their iced lavender latte. YUM. I would definitely be a regular if I lived in Austin!

2. HOPE OUTDOOR GALLERY| 1101 Baylor St. Austin, TX

Definitely a must-see when in Austin. Also known as Graffiti Park, this place serves as a canvas for local artists to express their creativity. A lot of cool street art, murals, etc. to check out. It’s even great place to take a few photos. Being multi-level, there’s a slope on the right you can climb to get to the top where you’ll have a great view of Downtown Austin.

3. BAO’D UP | 1911 Aldrich St. Austin, TX

We checked this place out because my friend was craving Asian food. My expectations weren’t very high, but I was down to try. Now, I don’t know if I was hungry or if I just really missed Asian food, as well. But these baos were bomb.com! I ordered the GuaBao combo, which allows you to choose any 3 from the GuaBao category. I wasn’t really in the mood for pork, so I ordered one crispy chicken bao and two fried tofu baos. DELISH! The fried tofu was my favorite. We had planned to come back for more before we left Austin, but didn’t get a chance to. Really wish we did, though! I also ordered a lavender black tea with boba. So refreshing in the Texas heat!

4. MURAL HUNTING | Austin, TX

If you ever find yourself in Austin, you have to go mural hunting! Really cool street art all over. We made sure to hunt down a few of the popular ones and take pictures.

5. DIRTY SIXTH | Sixth St. Austin, TX

My friends and I are always down for a night of drinks and dancing. But we had heard stories about Dirty Sixth, and no lie, we were a little nervous to go. We started off one night in West Sixth, deciding we were going to keep it chill. Somehow, we convinced ourselves it would be a good idea to head over to Dirty Sixth and “check it out” — on a Thursday night, no less! They close the street on the weekends to allow people to walk in the middle of the street, which was pretty cool for bar hopping. Fortunately, it wasn’t too crazy for us and we were able to re-live our college days for a couple hours — minus the hangover the next day!

6. EPOCH COFFEE | 221 W. North Loop Blvd. Austin, TX

I’m telling you, I love my coffee. Another coffee shop we checked out while in Austin. Epoch Coffee just screams “hipster”, and I love it! A lot of tables inside and out, + free wifi — perfect for studying. Got a lavender latte again, this time hot. Delicious! Another plus, this spot is open 24 hours. Wish we had these coffee shops back home!

7. ICENHAUER’S | 83 Rainey St. Austin, TX

Started our night on Rainey Street at Icenhauer’s. Really loved bar hopping down Rainey Street, with old bungalows that have been turned into bars. Icenhauer was a great spot, not that poppin’, but we did come on a Wednesday night. The drink menu organizes drinks by liquor and each drink is named after a woman. Although this place was a little too chill for us to get our night going, I would definitely love to check it out again.

8. STILES SWITCH BBQ & BREW | 6610 N. Lamar Blvd. Austin, TX

Recommended by a co-worker, I was skeptical because I’m not a HUGE fan of BBQ. I had been to a popular BBQ joint in Dallas and was very underwhelmed. So I didn’t have high expectations for this place. But HOLY MOLY. The BBQ here is legit. I ordered the 2-meat plate — pork ribs and jalapeño cheddar sausage with a side of Mac&cheese, potato salad, and corn casserole. Everything was delicious. Meat that falls off the bone. Corn casserole was just the right amount of sweetness to complement the ribs and sausage. I’m glad we checked this place out on our last day, or else I might have come back and had all my remaining meals here.

9. SAN ANTONIO RIVER WALK | San Antonio, TX

I know this isn’t in Austin, so just think of it as a bonus recommendation! We drove to San Antonio since it was only about an hour and a half from Austin. Even though it was ridiculously hot, it was so nice walking along the river. You can stroll along the river, pop into one of the restaurants along the way or you can take a boat ride on the river. Such a nice place, very serene and beautiful.

Here’s just a few of the things I enjoyed during my short visit to Austin, TX. Hope this helps and/or inspires your future visit!